Cardiovascular Physiology

1. a) Justify why atria contract first than ventricle although heart muscle is electrically and
mechanically syncytium.
b) What are the basic conditions that must be fulfilled for re-entry?
c) Explain why normal ST-Segment lies on the isoelectric line. [3+2+3]

2. a) Describe the ionic basis which triggers the pacemaker potential to maintain the Automaticity in
the cardiac muscles.
b) “Vagus nerve can control the heart beat by beat”— Justify the statement.
c) What do you know about first degree AV nodal block? [3+4+1]

3. a) Why there is initial / early repolarization phase in fast response action potential?
b) “The Excitation-contraction coupling of cardiac muscle is electrochemical and in skeletal
muscle it is electromechanical” — Justify the statement.
c) What in the significance of AV nodal delay? [3+3+2]

4. a) Explain the cause for the formation of the notch between the end of the upstroke and the
beginning of the plateau observed in the action potential of ventricular myocytes.
b) Discuss the Reentry phenomenon in heart.
c) What do you mean by absolute and relative refractory period? [3+3+2]

5. a) How would you recognise second degree AV nodal block by ECG?

b) What is Ectopic foci of excitation in heart?
c) Distinguish between fast response and slow response action potential. [3+2+3]

6. a) “Resting cell membrane is almost equal to the K+ equilibrium potential” – Justify the statement.
b) How HCN channels contributes to the autorhythmicity of heart?
c) “Cardiomyocytes that depolarize last are the first to repolarize” – explain.
d) What is Overdrive suppression? [2+3+2+1]